I was fairly successful with my
paintings and selling them when I got my
art in front of people but that wasn’t
very often hardly anybody knew me I was
like the proverbial guy you can’t get
arrested in his own hometown so what did
I do
to get myself some attention and put my
art in front of people I would do the
usual things that artists would do I
would go to shows or I would put my art
in cafes and restaurants not really
great ideas and I’ll tell you why if you
look at the picture of the cafe you see
look at carefully the people they’re not
looking at the art when they’re together
they’re looking at each other the arts
just in the background or if they’re
alone they’re on their computers so I
really didn’t have a lot of success with
that and with shows you see they’re kind
of tricky there’s a lot of effort you
have to pay the fees and if it’s rainy
or windy you don’t get a lot of people
coming if it’s too warm and sunny
they’re all at the beach so it’s kind of
hit and miss so what do you do to get
attention outdoor public art that’s what
I discovered and that was the trick and
what happened with me I’ll tell you this
story my wife who managed to keep her
youthful form through all the years
we’ve been married she was asked by her
colleagues at work what do you do to go
to the gym says no we just walk so she
told me that they were gonna go walking
after dinner in November December and
January and to stay in shape and I said
that’s great but this is a limestone
city and everything is gray and then
after Christmas all the lights come in
right so it’s depressing which you need
is an outdoor art show that spread
around and she said the problem with
that is it would get vandalized and I
said freeze it so I came up with this
idea 300 pounds of a block that we
turned pounds a block of ice is crystal
clear and it has art inside and I had
one of the
is placed in front of my lawn and it got
a lot of attention so some artists
approached me said can we get involved
too and so we did so later that month we
got twelve more so we had thirteen of
them and I had to actually go around
because each one cost me threw out a
dollar so I had I figured well I could
get people to pay me $200 for them so I
went actually literally knocking on door
to door to businesses and individuals
getting seeing if they would sponsor
these blocks of ice so they would glow
at night it would be really cool so I
went from being the guy who couldn’t get
arrested in his own hometown to the guy
who’s selling ice to Canadians
door-to-door in winter so I thought that
was a great idea can we do it in the
summer time because with you know life
goes on right when these melt so I came
up with the idea we we called that by
the way for our art on ice and so I
thought repeat the idea and that’s what
you can do when you have an idea repeat
it and maybe change it a little bit so
that you could take advantage of the
rest of the season or whatever and
that’s what we did so here we have a
piece of art that is weatherproof that
sits on someone’s lawn the same idea we
get people to sponsor it and they get to
keep it after so for $200 we get kind of
an exciting outdoor distributed art
display and the cool thing about both of
those is we have a launch date so we
invite the media in fact for the for
both of them especially for the ice ones
the media were bugging me
hounding me telling me not only did they
want to cover it but they insisted on
being there when the ice blocks arrived
they insisted on following me around and
interviewing the people they insisted
like that doesn’t happen to artists very
often right so I actually had to push
the media away a little bit which is
really cool so it became a very popular
event and we launched it and and it got
a lot of coverage now the other thing
too is to take that idea even further
and and to make it more exciting and to
do that I came up with the idea of using
screens and old wood panels that we’re
going to be thrown in the garbage and I
use that paint you know the stuff that’s
on sale in the back of the hardware
store or store just paint that’s been
sitting around while use that and I
paint with that so it’s weatherproof so
it’s art that stays outside
were upcycling so that adds to the
excitement now do you want this to
happen to your business say you’re
starting a business and we’re not
talking about art galleries it’s talking
about anything do you want to have a
sign like that after about six months
trying to give it a go
of course you don’t then you have to do
something different now one of the
things you can do that’s different is to
stay the same I know it’s kind of weird
but I don’t know if many of you people
might know him if you’ve been to his
store he’s a legend even if you haven’t
so I thought like many others
you know I confess with he was selling
LPS for ages used LPS but then Along
Came CDs DVDs digital downloads and
streaming and you know this guy should
be gone but no he stuck to it
he knew his business and he and he’s one
of the few that stayed behind and he is
the king of his field and he has this
whole cluttered thing I’m clutter too
every time I’m at my gallery that
artists help clean it up but clutter
works for him and at a Nadir’s him to
his customers so apply this to other
businesses so think of the status quo
think of your normal theater for example
so you want to open a theater not like
one that shows for feature films but you
know maybe foreign films or whatever or
old films don’t just have a normal
theater like all the others where you go
in and there’s popcorn and there’s you
know machines you can play try this this
guy’s in the middle of nowhere in a
small town far away from anything but
people flock to his place because when
you go in you don’t see the typical
things you actually are in a kind of a
Museum in the lobby and that’s all old
equipment there old vintage equipment
and memorabilia tons and tons of it even
has one of those alien statues from one
of the movies so that’s an experience
he’s creating for people and they’ll go
out of their way to go to it now think
about your typical restaurant excuse me
you walk into a restaurant and you see
tables and chairs and maybe some art on
the wall and maybe it’s a burger
restaurant or maybe it’s an Italian
restaurant and can you imagine that
restaurant being a different kind of
restaurant next week well if you can
and the decor won’t change then you know
maybe there’s really not too much
exciting about that all things being
equal people will want the experience
and they’ll choose that over top of
anything else
for instance they’ll say I want to go to
that place where you know it looks like
you’re in Vietnam
now this restaurant is well-known I
think to a lot of people it’s a very
popular North American chain I used I
always loved to go there when I do I
want to sit in that streetcar and you
know now of course I’ll take pictures
outs and you know I’m post them yeah
post about my food and where I eat and
all that stuff but people like to do
that and it helps the business because
their friends see it right and they say
oh what a cool restaurant I want to go
there so and if you look up here at the
I guess in this example is a little
better but usually that’s even the
chairs the same table don’t match and
that adds to the you know that the
clutter and the and the mishmash of
things on the Tiffany lamps it adds to
the ambience and makes it an experience
that people want to seek out now
sushi we’ve all been to a sushi place
right sometimes they cut it you know
right in front of you in front your
table yeah no that’s pretty standard
sometimes they serve it out in the
kitchen and bring it to you on a plate
really boring this place is kind of
interesting because you set the table
and the sushi is actually floating by
it’s on these little little boats I
thought that was really cool so that’s
kind of an experience yeah and you get
to pick your food and depending on the
one you pick you pay that amount maybe
you might want to pick another in
another it’s a great idea love it so now
think of the business I’m running an art
gallery now you think of your typical
art gallery and it looks like this this
is your status quo for an art gallery
big windows you walk by what do you
think you’re gonna see in their
paintings and various art right most
people aren’t gonna go to the art
gallery every day is it oh oh I don’t
walk by it what you want to you want to
expand your audience a little bit and
bring in people who actually weren’t
intending to go to an art gallery right
so this is what we’ve done you don’t
even know it most people don’t even know
what it is and
so they actually get inside the gallery
at the end of this this corridor that
leads to it but you see outdoor art you
see tables where people can eat it’s
just it’s certainly shock and awe right
and here you see a lighthouse right you
see that lighthouse that’s not a
lighthouse the place was actually an old
alley and I used the I had a lighthouse
shaped shed to hide the garbage for the
restaurant that was using the alley and
you’ll see it better there and the buoy
is not a boy if you still get ships in
there right that’s for the grease for
the restaurant because the restaurant
was using a Sally before I came along
and I couldn’t tell him to put it inside
because one they were there before me
and two they had no room inside so I
said okay keep it inside we’ll just
disguise it and then we’ll just decorate
everything LAN landlord told me do
whatever you want cuz I hated the color
the of the walls said do whatever you
want so I did never tell that to an
artist leverage social media so in this
day and age you can actually rely on
your customers to help spread the word
about you and this is what happens all
the time at our gallery this is a model
it’s yes permission to have her pictures
taken here and I said of course yes and
then this is one of many families who
came and I noticed they were taking a
selfie so I took a picture of them and
then I posted on Instagram and then
later I saw their post on Instagram this
is one of many and you notice the
Martell Ali sign there I make sure to
make sure that I make sure that that
sign is conspicuous and various spices
so you almost have to go out of your way
to not get you know that my name of my
business in that in your photograph I
was actually see I have cameras on 24/7
I was sitting there I was watching with
my wife who’s in this audience right now
and I we were watching TV and I said oh
there’s someone in the alley right now
and they’re taking pictures I said I
think we need a sign there and there and
there and there
so and it worked now we also disguise
the business a little bit well oh
actually sometimes when you’re in
business look out for happy accidents
sometimes your customers will be telling
you something that’s really cool what
happened in in this case is there is a
blue bike on the left and it was it
actually wasn’t there it was chained in
the middle of the alleyway and as I was
I was working with the Le and kind of
tidying it all the way back and I only
had her at the front of it where the
street was and people look at the art
and then they look at that bike and
they’d say wow that’s a pretty bike and
I’d say thanks that’s not my bike they’d
say whose bike is it oh um that belongs
to one of the tenants
Oh which tenant I don’t know she lives
here I don’t know Oh how much is that
like I don’t know that belongs to one of
the tenants oh where can I get a bike
again I don’t know I’m thought something
hard so I realized that I had to get my
own bike because eventually that bike
would be gone and it was a real
conversation piece and drew people back
so I got the other bike and then that
fight became available because she was
leaving and she wanted to sell it to me
so I had two bikes and then I had no
place to put them so I shoved them out
on the sidewalk a little bit just for a
moment and then I notice people started
funneling in it was actually attracting
people because they’d stop they look at
the bike and then they go in and it’s
like wow and then I thought okay an art
gallery think of this be creative with
your logo an art gallery what would you
normally see as a symbol for an art
gallery like a paintbrush and a pallet
right or an easel well why not a bicycle
and it throws people off but they’re
attractive so people come in here and
they think they’re going into a bike
shop or an antique shop or they don’t
know what it is but by the time we get
the front door it’s too late and there
my gallery so watch for those happy
accidents use your creativity for that
and your ears now distractive necessary
and this is a thing some people are not
looking for what you’re selling you have
a bookstore or you have a Chinese
restaurant or whatever it is or a plant
store they’re looking for milk they’re
looking for eggs they’re in a hurry
distract them and get them to notice you
but then don’t do what I did the first
day what I did see is people would stop
and they’d notice all of this stuff one
lady looked at me like this and she said
what is this and I said well come on in
and take a look and she said oh no no no
no you’re gonna tell me what this is
before I go in there so I said it’s an
art gallery and this is what she did she
says oh my hate art and she ran this way
literally like so obviously she doesn’t
hate art but for some reason or another
she didn’t want to go in she don’t wanna
be embarrassed or so yeah whatever so
this is what I do next time someone came
in I they would say what is this and I’d
say look down at your feet and they
would look down they always do because I
point and then they say and I say that’s
not pretty that’s painted I painted the
ground to look like brick and I actually
did I got on my hands and knees with a
sponge for a month with special paint
make it look like brick it’s actually
asphalt so she would say yeah really and
that’s not a lighthouse really yeah I
come take a look
by that time there I’m from the gallery
right it’s two steps in so distract the
people so whatever you do find a way to
distract them so they don’t realize what
they’re getting you know that they’re
actually enjoying being in your store
now think of your typical restaurant you
go in you buy your food and you leave
but sometimes from the restaurant and
there’s no room and they have to clear a
table for you please sit down here at
the front bench for 20 minutes by that
door where the cold air is coming in or
you can buy a drink at the bar well
maybe you don’t want to buy a drink at
the bar maybe you won’t have a glass of
wine at your table maybe you don’t want
to drink at all so you have to sit there
at the front what if you did what these
folks do it’s a chain in the United
States you walk through it’s a general
store you have to walk through the
general store to get to the friend the
restaurant and then if they’re if the
food isn’t ready your table isn’t ready
that’s okay they’ve got your name I’ll
just shop down here for a while right oh
this looks interesting or if your table
is ready you go sit down you order and
then you say see and this is what I
always do I saw something interesting
back here right so you’re taking
advantage of the captive audience and
you’re giving them an experience and
you’re up selling selling more product
to them you may not have a lot of room
but
even if you have a small amount maybe
you’re not really a special restaurant
but maybe you have customers come in and
they say we were here ten years ago on
our first date you know and they would
want a souvenir with the name of your
your establishment on it think about
that yes things like that can sell now
collaborate you’re not an island if even
if you have you’re competing with other
art galleries or other bookstores or
whatever you’re stronger together it’s
better that all of you talk about art or
books or Rio or Chinese food than just
one of you maybe they’re better at
social media than you are by and it just
works to everybody’s benefit so don’t be
afraid to be to collaborate and be
working with even your competitors and
tell your story
your story is what makes you important
your story is what distinguishes you
from everybody else our story is how we
took this old alley and yes that’s Marco
alley
not now and I it was really disgusting
no one would want to go down there it
was empty for a long time and I turned
it into this and this is a winter shot
it’s even pretty in the winter so tell
the story about what you’ve done tell a
story about how maybe you were
handicapped how are you were in a car
accident and you’re starting your
business and starting your life again or
how you only source local or support
this or you give to whatever charity
whatever it is make sure you tell your
story so that people are aware of it
creativity is is something that doesn’t
cost you anything it’s one of the assets
you have that is free and you can even
input from your friends and others who
are creative people and and use that you
won’t have to pay for it it’s the thing
that will really set you apart from all
of the other businesses because you when
you’re starting out in your business
it’s that first year in fact a lot of
the businesses go out in the first six
months so people have to notice you and
then when they notice you they have to
be they have to say I want to keep
coming here because this person does
this or they did that
they support this cause so make sure to
use creativity in your business that is
what is going to give you the edge thank
you [Applause]